The London Congestion Charge is now a reality Essay Example for Free

The London Congestion Charge is now a reality Essay Background info: Congestion charging is a way of ensuring that those using valuable and congested road space make a financial contribution. The scheme requires drivers to pay à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5 per day if they wish to drive in Central London during the schemes hours of operation. The scheme relies on 700 video cameras, which will scan the rear license plates of the motorists who enter the area between 7am and 6:30pm during the working week. This information will be matched each night against a database of drivers who have paid the charge either by phone, via the Internet or at shops and petrol forecourts. Except for those with exemptions (the disabled, taxis, nurses etc.) anyone who fails to pay by midnight will be fined à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½80. The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone put the scheme in place on February 2003. The scheme is live Monday- Friday, 7am- 6:30pm (excluding public holidays). Residents are entitled to a 90% discount and those with a disabled blue badge, taxis and licensed mini cabs, and drivers of clean-engine vehicles, among others, will be able to drive in the congestion charge zone for free. The situation prior to the charging was that: * London suffers from the worst traffic congestion in the UK and is amongst the worst in Europe. * Drivers in London spend 50% of their time in queues. * Every weekday morning, the equivalent of 25 busy motorway lanes of traffic tries to enter Central London. * It has been estimated that London looses between à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2-4 million every week in terms of lost time caused by congestion. Ken Livingstone, Londons Mayor, hopes to cut traffic by 15%, leading to a 25% reduction in traffic delays. The net proceeds are expected to be around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½120m a year, which will be used to improve public transport. Because of congestion in London the government has taken over/ intervened because it was a case of market failure. It failed because the roads/ resources werent being managed causing inefficiency and pollution. This congestion charge has been set up to erect that problem because London is the capital and a thriving city. These improvements may seem a bit steep e.g. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½80 fine, but they have got to show they are serious so that the scheme is not taken for granted. This scheme will make certain people better off it wont work for everyone. People who NEED to come into London to work will appreciate the changes because it will mean they will get to work quicker and work longer hours. Roads are seen as public goods because you cant charge people for its use if they are there everyone benefits. This scheme should drastically reduce traffic in London because a social cost is being added to their private costs. If you add à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5 to someones private cost they will think about their actions. One of the problems that will arise is that not everyone can pay the market price, so the system can be inequitable. In some cases inequity of this sort is unavoidable. The fact that people cannot all have everything they want is part of the basic economic problem of scarcity. There are benefits for those with particular needs such as the disabled and taxi drivers. These need benefits to live a normal life and keep the norm going. Because if taxis and mini-cabs stopped working people who had to travel to work, business meeting or wanted to get directly home would have to use some other means of transport. Also it will encourage them to keep working and disabled people to keep coming into London and not feel restricted. This scheme will also show what the commuters and stakeholders think of the efficiency of roads in Central London. Because if they are satisfied or think that they are getting their value for their money e.g. less traffic, good maintenance they will be willing to keep paying and perhaps more people will see that the scheme is efficient.

Price Fixing :: Business

Price fixing is defined as, â€Å"an arrangement in which two firms coordinate their pricing decisions.† (O’Sullivan & Sheffrin, 2003). The price fixing case I chose was regarding Brown and Toland Medical Group. The company is a multi-specialty, for-profit San Francisco-based independent physicians' association (Rauber, 2004). Brown and Toland Medical Group was charged by the FTC with violating federal antitrust laws by fixing prices and other terms under which it would contract with insurance companies for preferred provider organization (PPO) enrollees. The FTC contends that the company had physicians agree on prices and terms they would enter contracts with heath plans or third-party payers. The company also allegedly told doctors to terminate any pre-existing contracts. Then they asked others to join in their price-fixing agreement. This would raise prices for physician services in their home town San Francisco. The FTC proposed a consent agreement that bars Brown and Toland from: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Negotiating with any payer on behalf of any physician. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dealing or refusing to deal with any payer based on price or other terms †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jointly determining price or other terms upon which any physician deals with payers Another stipulation of the consent agreement is that Brown & Toland to notify the FTC at least 60 days before entering into any arrangement with physicians or contacting any payer, except for those arrangements under which Brown & Toland will be paid a capitated amount, and contains standard recordkeeping provisions to assist the FTC in monitoring the respondent’s compliance(www.

Metropolis and Nineteen Eighty-Four Essay

The question (adapted from 2014 HSC) Rebellion and revolution are ideas which connect Metropolis and Nineteen Eighty-Four. How do these two texts from different contexts reflect changing perspectives on this idea? What it requires Both texts are connected by an exploration of rebellion and revolution that have direct relevance to the composers and their audiences. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences of the way each text portrays rebellion and revolution, taking into account context, audience, language and textual form. Prescribed texts: Metropolis (1929), directed by Fritz Lang (film) Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) by George Orwell (novel) Introduction begins with broader positioning of thesis, then introduces text followed by thesis statement which suggests contextual links When distribution of power in a society is too unevenly distributed, or when one group abuses their power too greatly to the detriment of others, then the oppressed often find a way to rebel or even initiate revolution. In Metropolis and Nineteen Eighty-Four we see depictions of dystopian societies that provoke rebellion or revolution, though as each text was produced during or shortly after significantly different periods of conflict and upheaval, we ultimately see two different attitudes presented, with very different expectations for the outcome of such actions. Topic sentence links to question Direct reference to context Analysis of images & sequences from the text with comparison of examples from text to reinforce topic sentence Concluding statement links back to thesis and introduces next paragraph Throughout history, the most common social structure to provoke revolution is one with hierarchical social classes. Lang’s depiction of divided social classes in a film encouraging sympathy for the lower class has parallels with its time, being produced shortly after the German revolution in which the imperial government was replaced by a form of representative democracy (the Weimar Republic). Lang uses expressionistic imagery, and the strong contrast of light and shade characteristic of German Expressionist Cinema to distinguish the two classes inhabiting the futuristic city. The workers are depicted in uniform black, trudging in synchronised columns into a dark tunnel to their work with the machines. Exiting, they walk at a slower pace suggesting work draws the life out of them, while montages of gears and heavy machinery construct them as part of the machine. This opening sequence is juxtaposed with the light shades and open spaces of the upper city, particularly the Eternal Garden. While workers trudge into dark tunnels, Freder, the protagonist and other sons of Metropolis’ elite run freely in leisure activities beneath towering walls and statues. This clear social divide establishes the familiar pattern for the revolution that is to come. Connects texts with comparative phrase ‘more complex’ Contextual difference between texts Brief summary of text links to topic sentence. Analysis of narrative style continues line of argument Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four explores the more complex scenario of an oppressive regime that maintains power through propaganda, subtle behavioural controls, and fear. Written 20 years after the production of Metropolis, and after the world had already seen the extremes of fascism and totalitarian regimes such as Hitler’s Nazi Party and Stalin’s regime in  Russia, Orwell creates a dystopian society of satirical extremes in which every aspect of an individual’s life, including their thoughts, are the subject of control strategies implemented in the name of the oppressive figurehead known as Big Brother. The close-framed narrative allows the reader to get inside the head of protagonist Winston Smith, a member of the Outer Party of the English Socialist Party in decaying post-revolutionary London, now part of the mega-state of Oceania. His main occupation of rewriting historical records to reflect current party policy represents one extreme manifestation of totalitarian control. Through this activity, Winston introduces us to Doublethink, the ability to hold two contradictory ideas in your head while guiding yourself to believe the one that best fits the principles of Ingsoc, the party doctrine. To even doubt or question Ingsoc is dubbed ‘thoughtcrime’, and pursued ruthlessly by the thought police. Contextual links reinforce thesis Comparison of set texts and concluding statement link back to thesis In a policy reminiscent of the great purges of Stalinist Russia or the Night of the Long Knives in Hitler’s Nazi Party, anyone accused of thoughtcrime is ‘disappeared’ in the night and presumed executed or vaporised. Unlike the clearly divided social classes of Metropolis, the climate of fear in totalitarian London, coupled with the ever-present eye of Big Brother through the telescreens and the slogan ‘Big Brother is Watching You’, encourages people to oppress themselves, as people live in fear of being accused, falsely or otherwise, and executed. Topic sentence establishes commonality between texts before focusing on specific text Brief synopsis, introducing biblical allusions Detailed analysis of imagery and symbolism showing different perspectives linked to thesis Concluding statement links to next paragraph While both texts explore the idea of rebellion and revolution against such oppressive regimes, neither provides a single-sided view of the issue. In Metropolis, the revolution is initiated as a foolhardy act of manipulation by the ruling class. Joh Fredersen and his mad scientist companion, Rotwang, kidnap Maria, the Madonna-like figure who first entices Freder to learn the plight of the workers. After seeing Maria preaching to the workers using the oft-repeated phrase that ‘the mediator between the head and the hands must be the heart’ Frederson and Rotwang replace her with a robotic doppelganger to stir up dissent and rebellion in the workers so that Fredersen can be justified in using greater force against them. The workers who rise to robot-Maria’s call to destroy the machines are depicted as foolhardy, as they unknowingly leave their children behind in peril when their rampage causes flooding. This action symbolises the dangers of revolution, suggesting that in taking control of the present, then the future that the children represent may be sacrificed. Further folly is committed when the workers ignore the warnings of one of their own, Grot, and destroy the heart machine of Metropolis, symbolically rendering the city lifeless and in essence destroying the thing they may have hoped to claim. The epic scale of this revolution, however, is in strong contrast to the nature of rebellion in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Compares texts with ‘instead’ Developing argument with textual references and analysis of motif Analysis of symbolism links to topic sentence Concluding statement includes contextual links Instead of an epic revolution, Winston’s rebellion against the party is ironic in that his rebellion is to pursue acts associated with a ‘normal’ life. Once the audience understands the concepts of thoughtcrime and doublethink, then it becomes apparent how his continued questioning of the  official party story is a dangerous and rebellious act. A key motif that represents Winston’s rebellion is the repetition of the line ‘two plus two equals four’, which the audience recognises as a factual statement, but which comes to symbolise the power of the party’s control mechanisms that they might persuade someone to believe that two plus to equals five. In this way, all of Winston’s rebellions take the form of ordinary activities for the reader – a love affair, consuming real coffee and chocolate – yet the fact they are rebellious defines another aspect of life that the party has coerced and perverted as part of their driv e for power. Winston’s rebellion celebrates life and his actions serve as Orwell’s warning against any system of authority in which everyday actions might be seen as questionable. Directly compares texts with brief analysis of plot and   concluding link to thesis It is in the resolution of the acts of rebellion and revolution that the key differences between the texts emerge. Where Metropolis ends with a sense of hope (the liberated Maria unites Grot and Federsen through the empathic figure of Freder), Nineteen Eighty-Four’s final line in which Winston proclaims his love for Big Brother is seen as a final, crushing defeat that suggests no hope exists in such a system of power. Conclusion summarises how the question has been answered, with suggestions for further lines of inquiry arising from this essay In conclusion, it is possible to view these two texts as counterpoints to each other. While still recognising the dangers of revolution, Metropolis reflects the sense of hope that is ultimately represented by such an action while Nineteen Eighty-Four shows what such hopes can easily become. It is not insignificant then that Orwell wrote his novel after fighting directly against the fascists that would arise out of the German experience, and that he throws into question the value of the revolutionary spirit and whether or not it has ever produced an ideal, long-term outcome.

Confessions Essay - 987 Words

Augustine titled his deeply philosophical and theological autobiography Confessions to implicate two aspects of the form the work would take. To confess, in Augustines time, meant both to give an account of ones faults to God and to praise God (to speak ones love for God). These two aims come together in the Confessions in an elegant but complex sense: Augustine narrates his ascent from sinfulness to faithfulness not simply for the practical edification of his readers, but also because he believes that narrative to be itself a story of Gods greatness and of the fundamental love all things have for Him. Thus, in the Confessions form equals content to a large degreeamp;#151;the natural form for Augustines story of redemption to take†¦show more content†¦This idea of the return also serves as a good access to the philosophical and theological context in which Augustine is thinking and writing. The most important influence here (besides the Bible) is Neoplatonism, a few major te xts of which Augustine read shortly before his conversion. The Neoplatonist universe is hierarchical, but things lower on the scale of being cannot be said to be bad or evil. Everything is good in so far as it exists, but things lower on the scale have a less complete and perfect Being. In contrast to God, who is eternal, unchanging, and unified, the lower levels of being involve what we know as the visible universeamp;#151;a universe of matter in constant flux, in a vast multiplicity, and caught up in the ravages of time. Augustines lasting influence lies largely in his success in combining this Neoplatonic worldview with the Christian one. In Augustines hybrid system, the idea that all creation is good in as much as it exists means that all creation, no matter how nasty or ugly, has its existence only in God. Because of this, all creation seeks to return to God, who is the purest and most perfected form of the compromised Being enjoyed by individual things. Again, then, any story of an individuals return to God is also a statement about the relationship between God and the created universe: namely, everything tends back toward God, its constant source and ideal form. A questionShow MoreRelatedConfessions : False Confessions And Confessions2061 Words   |  9 PagesFalse Confessions â€Å"It was me. I did it. I’m guilty.† It’s what every interrogator is waiting for and hoping to hear. Any variation will do the job, as either is the heart of each and every confession. The main purpose of an interrogation is to elicit the truth from a suspect that they believe has lied or is guilty of the crime they’re investigating. They are looking for a confession. 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Although The Confessions of Nat Turner is supposedly the words of Turner himself, we haveRead MoreSt. Augustine s Confessions1914 Words   |  8 Pagesnow known for supporting. His early years were freckled with mindless disobedience, wretched behavior, and characterized godlessness that makes his conversion to the faith incredibly remarkable and one that is worth defining in Saint Augustine s Confessions. His incredible turnaround from a faithless man to a devout supporter of Christianity is significant and is freckled with many major milestones that truly demonstrate his spiritual and internal growth into one of the biggest spiritual icons of theRead MoreFalse Confessions Of Ward And Fontenot Essay960 Words   |  4 PagesFalse Confessions The confessions of Ward and Fontenot to raping and murdering Denice Haraway are the most incriminating evidence against the pair. However, these are false confessions and do not prove anything, but would in fact prove that the pair know nothing about what happened to Denice. The events leading up to the confessions are the first indication that the confessions are false, and at the very least tainted. As previously stated, The OSBI administered a polygraph test to Ward to determineRead MoreThe Injustice of the Tactics Used in Confession628 Words   |  3 Pages yell at the suspects or get in their faces. According to the law, police are allowed to use the tactic trickery or lying to receive a confession from the suspect. The assumption the police officers make is that no matter how many lies told, a person will not state they are guilty if they truly did not commit the crime. In the case shown in the video, Confession, the police told one of the men that he had failed a polygraph ( lie detector) test, even though he had passed it. I believe this tactic